Montevideo, Uruguay

The Rambla is the heart and soul of Montevideo — a broad waterfront promenade that curves for some 22 kilometres along the Río de la Plata, linking the old town to the leafy residential barrios and the city beaches. It is where Montevideo comes to live: joggers and cyclists in the morning, families and fishermen through the day, and, as the sun sinks over the wide brown river, a long line of locals sitting on the wall sharing mate — the national ritual of sipping bitter yerba tea through a metal straw from a shared gourd, with a thermos of hot water tucked under the arm (you'll see it everywhere). Strolling or cycling a stretch of the Rambla at golden hour, watching the mate-drinkers and the sunset, is the quintessential Montevideo experience — unhurried, social and quietly beautiful. The promenade passes the river beaches of Pocitos and Ramírez, popular for swimming and sunbathing in the warm months.

The Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo's old town, occupies the peninsula at the mouth of the bay — a grid of weathered, once-grand 19th- and early-20th-century buildings that has become the city's most atmospheric and creative quarter. Around the central Plaza Matriz (with the cathedral and the old town hall) and the shady Plaza Zabala lie museums, galleries, antique shops, street art, characterful cafés and a lively nightlife after dark. The unmissable experience is the Mercado del Puerto, a magnificent wrought-iron market hall from 1868 by the port, now given over almost entirely to parrillas — open grills laden with sizzling asado, where you perch at a counter or table and eat some of the best barbecued beef, sausage (chorizo) and offal in a country obsessed with grilling, washed down with a medio y medio (a mix of sparkling and white wine). It's busiest and best at lunchtime, especially on weekends, and is the perfect introduction to Uruguay's meat culture.

Where the old town meets the modern city stands Plaza Independencia, Montevideo's grandest square, with the mausoleum of the national independence hero José Artigas beneath an equestrian statue, overlooked by the eclectic 1928 Palacio Salvo — once the tallest building in South America and the city's quirky landmark. On the square's edge, the beautifully restored Teatro Solís, Uruguay's premier opera and concert house, offers tours and performances. From here the main avenue, 18 de Julio, runs through the commercial centre past plazas, the Gaucho Museum and Art Deco architecture. For football fans — and in Uruguay, football is close to a religion — the Estadio Centenario is a pilgrimage: built for and host of the very first FIFA World Cup in 1930, which Uruguay won, it houses a football museum and still stages big matches in an atmosphere all of its own. The Afro-Uruguayan candombe drumming tradition, meanwhile, fills the streets of the Barrio Sur and Palermo, especially during the months-long Carnival, the longest in the world.

Montevideo eats well and simply. Beyond the Mercado del Puerto's grills, the city's signature is the chivito — a towering steak sandwich loaded with ham, cheese, egg, bacon and salad — alongside more asado, fresh pasta from the Italian-influenced kitchens, empanadas and an obsession with dulce de leche in every dessert; Uruguayan Tannat red wine accompanies it all. In summer the river beaches of Pocitos, with its curve of sand and apartment skyline, and Ramírez bring the seaside into the city. Beyond Montevideo, two of Uruguay's highlights are within easy reach: Colonia del Sacramento, a beautifully preserved 17th-century Portuguese-Spanish colonial town on the river — its cobbled, bougainvillea-draped old quarter a UNESCO World Heritage Site — is a couple of hours west and a lovely day or overnight trip; and the glamorous Atlantic beach resort of Punta del Este, playground of the region's summer set, lies a couple of hours east. With its calm pace, culture and easy escapes, Montevideo rewards travellers who like a city they can settle into.